Using the rulers and grid
You can use rulers and the grid to help you align, size, and position objects precisely on a layout.
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Rulers: Showing the rulers displays a horizontal and vertical ruler along the edge of a layout. Guide lines on each ruler track the position of the pointer as you move the pointer on the layout.
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Grid: Showing the grid displays a series of nonprinting intersecting horizontal and vertical lines on a layout, which you can use for creating, resizing, positioning, and aligning objects. Gridlines adjust when you change the unit of measure.
Blank layout showing the rulers and grid
Showing and hiding the rulers
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To show the rulers, in Layout mode, choose View menu > Rulers.
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To hide the rulers, choose View menu > Rulers again.
Working with the grid
Use the grid to precisely control the placement of objects on a layout. When the grid is showing, major gridlines appear slightly darker than minor gridlines. You can change the spacing between gridlines.
You can have objects “snap-to” gridlines. When you move or resize an object, it snaps to the nearest minor gridline. New objects are created aligning to the nearest major gridline.
 
In the Inspector, click the Position tab. In the Grid area, select or deselect Show grid.
Or, choose View menu > Grid > Show Grid. To hide the grid, choose Show Grid again.
In the Inspector, click the Position tab. In the Grid area, select or deselect Snap to grid.
Or, choose View menu > Grid > Snap to Grid. To turn it off, choose Snap to Grid again.
In the Inspector, click the Position tab. In the Grid area, enter values for Major Grid Spacing and Minor Grid Steps. See the default settings in the table below.
The following table shows the default major units and minor steps for the selected unit of measure (inches, centimeters, or points).
 
Changing the unit of measure
To change the unit of measure used by the rulers, grid, and the Inspector, do one of the following:
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Each ruler increment measures the following amount of space:
 
Notes
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